Comparison of Surgical Results of Direct Vertebral Rotation with those of Simple Rod Derotation for Correction of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
Thanita Panya-amornwat MD*, Athikom Methatien MD*, Aekapop Pattarapongsanti MD*
Affiliation : * Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Rajavithi Hospital, College of Medicine, Rangsit University, Bangkok, Thailand
Background : Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is abnormal spinal alignment in 3 planes: the coronal, sagittal and
rotational planes, and one of the methods used for its treatment is surgical correction. In the present day, the most common
surgical techniques used to correct spinal alignment are simple rod derotation and direct vertebral derotation.
Objective : To compare spinal alignment results after surgical correction with simple rod derotation and direct vertebral
derotation.
Material and Method: We retrospectively enrolled 29 AIS patients who had undergone surgical correction using simple rod
derotation or direct vertebral derotation at Rajavithi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand between January 2012 and December
2014.This study was conducted by a single surgeon, and the surgical technique was chosen according tothe surgeon’s
preference. X-ray and CT scan of whole spine were used by an interobserver to measure parameters such as apical vertebral
rotation angle, coronal and sagittal vertebral alignment, lower instrument vertebral tilt and shoulder balance,and to compare
the results of the two groups.
Results : There was a significant improvement in overall spinal alignment parameters postoperatively in both groups, but
there was no significant difference in apical vertebral rotation or thoracic kyphosis in the simple rod derotation group. There
was no significant difference between overall spinal alignment of the two groups.
Conclusion : Both surgical techniques showed improvement in overall spinal alignment; however, no significant difference
between these improvements was found in the two groups.
Keywords : Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, Surgical correction, Simple rod derotation, Direct vertebral rotation
